Energy infrastructure provider Zinfra has welcomed 77 new gas and electrical apprentices and trainees to its program with more than a third of them women.
The Zinfra program, aimed at tackling the skills shortage in the industry, includes 25 women and five First Nation employees.
“Achieving a record 32 per cent female participation and 6.4 per cent First Nations participation shows that when you remove barriers and back people early, you open the door to talent that might not otherwise see a future in this industry,” Zinfra’s Managing Director Peter Iancov said.
The intake includes 62 apprentices and 15 trainees across power and gas, with recruits ranging from a former flight attendant and traffic controllers to public servants. Three school leavers, including two young women, are entering the industry straight from high school.
Melanie Haymen is starting her career in energy after years in the aviation sector and said working on local infrastructure has changed how she views energy.
“You don’t realise how critical the network is until you understand the consequences. I wanted my forever job and wanted to do something impactful but different each day,” she said.
Mum of four, Maddison Leigh Ridge, is training to be a gas transmission technician as a mature aged apprentice and is looking forward to playing an important role in powering her community.
“The fact that I’m going to be a part of something bigger is exciting. I’m grateful to be one of the first women in my community to go down this path and be a symbol for other women to consider a career in energy,” she said.
Iancov said broadening participation is key to addressing the industry-wide skills shortage.
“We are intentionally widening the entry points into energy careers and backing that with the right training, mentoring and strong leadership support,” he said.
This year, Zinfra also onboarded 84 new mentors to strengthen hands-on support for apprentices and trainees.
